Ever since prehistoric times, fishing has been an integral part of providing food for humankind. Fish are caught in a variety of different ways. They can be caught by spear fishing, by using nets, or by using hooks connected to fishing lines. Despite the fact that civilization has become more agriculturally based, fish still to a substantial provide source for the world. In addition, though, fishing has become a well-loved sporting activity.
In the non-commercial area of fishing, fishing poles and various lures, hooks, tackle and lines make up the equipment for catching fish as a sport. Although a variety of different lures and flies have been developed to attract fish to the hooks, often the best and most efficient way to catch fish is by using live bait. Live bait tends to attract fish as long as the bait remains in a state that resembles the natural lively state of the bait, and camouflages the metal of the hook. One disadvantage of using live bait is the difficulty in baiting the hook in such a manner that the bait still looks lifelike. Another problem is a bait's tendency to fall off the hook when cast due to the difficulty of securing the bait to the hook. Also, many people exhibit a squeamish reaction to baiting a hook. Finally, the sometimes small size of a hook causes difficulty in attaching the bait, and a person may inadvertently injure himself or herself by jabbing the barb of a hook into a finger when trying to bait the hook.
These problems have been addressed by the development of the bait threaders. U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,083 to Davis shows a bait threader having a stationary shank attached to a handle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,979 to H.W. Kulp shows a bait threader having a shank and a lateral projection to wrap the fishing line around. U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,881 shows a shank and a horizontal base adapted to have the fishing line wrapped therearound. Bait threaders have a straight shank onto which bait, such as a worm, can be threaded. The hook is placed on top of the shaft and the bait is slid from the shank onto the hook. Despite their advantages, prior art bait threaders were somewhat difficult to use because each of the threaders is held, the fishing line is held to secure the hook on the shank and the bait is then moved from the shank to the hook. The hook, which is typically placed on the top of the shank, often dislodges from the shank prior to the entire bait being placed on the hook. This results in puncturing the bait or having a part of the worm dangle off the end of the hook such that fish can eat the unsecured portion of the worm without being hooked and caught. Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved bait threader which allows the bait to be efficiently threaded onto the hook while the hook remains stabilized.